Patagonian Expedition Race 2012: gearing up for 'the Last Wild Race'

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They call it ‘the Last Wild Race’ – and it’s a prospect that would make anyone nervous.

For the last three days, the baggage carousel in the cold concrete arrivals hall of Punta Arenas airport has been creaking under the weight of kit bags, bikes, tents and paddles, as dozens of adventurers, from as far afield as Russia, Japan, Britain and the US, converge upon Chile’s deep south.

The gateway to Patagonia and the Chilean Antarctic, Punta Arenas is usually the starting point for ordinary travellers trekking through the Torres del Paine National Park or heading off on a wildlife cruise through spectacular fjords.

But for these visitors, what lies ahead is somewhat different.

They face a formidable 375-mile journey – the equivalent distance of London to Edinburgh – through one of the most remote regions on earth. And they will have just a map and a compass to find their way, and a kayak, bicycle and their own two feet to get them around.

The 2012 Patagonian Expedition Race begins tomorrow, with a field of 19 four-person teams set to take on the annual challenge. They include two teams based in Britain, one of which is led by Nick Gracie, who will be aiming for his fourth victory.

The atmosphere here last night was both tense and excitable as the route was finally revealed.

“A key ingredient of this type of race is the mental challenge of devising and implementing a strategy without prior planning,” explained Pete Clayden, a Briton, and the race’s HR Manager. “We keep information secure until now so the teams have equal advantage.”

The teams are now frantically planning their route south into Tierra del Fuego, through the forests of the private Karukinka reserve and into the spectacular mountains of the Cordillera Darwin.

But it’s not just a challenge for the racers. So remote are parts of the course that a team of photographers left four days ago, just so they could get in position in time to catch the racers when they come through the course.

They will be relying on solar panels to generate power for their batteries, and without satellite data connection their images will not be revealed to the world until at least a week after the race is complete.

Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, the race, considered the manpowered version of the Dakar Rally or the land equivalent of the Volvo Ocean Race, is never the same twice.

Conditions change, teams change, the course changes, and even Patagonia changes. So it is with nervous anticipation that we wait at the start line eager to see what happens this time around.